Growth Issues and Sprawl

Growth Issues
& Sprawl

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Perhaps more than any other topic, sprawl and growth issues dominate planning research and discussions. In the United States, the growth of suburbia, stems, originally, from two disparate sources: a tangible housing shortage following World War II and untangible racism. The materials on this page explore the range of issues and ideas which have contributed to the creation and perpetuation of sprawl in urban areas.

WHERE DID SUBURBIA COME FROM?

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE GROWTH OF SUBURBS: IMPACT OF THE AUTOMOBILE ON THE 20TH CENTURY

CAN AMERICA SURVIVE SUBURBIA. James Howard Kunstler. A comparison of European and American attitudes towards urban areas and growth.

ON THE PLAYING FIELDS OF SUBURBIA. David Brooks. Atlantic Monthly, January 2002.

SUBURBIA: IS IT SO BAD TO BE BANAL? James Surowiecki. Atlantic Monthly, 1997.

RETROFITTING SUBURBIA. Victor Dover. Lecture. University of Maryland.

SPRAWL

SPRAWL WATCH CLEARINGHOUSE. A comprehensive collection of materials, including demographic trends; bibliographies; current news; policies, ordinances, and laws; state by state smart growth initiatives; and best practices.

PLANNERS WEB SPRAWL GUIDE. A comprehensive collection of resources, articles, books, best practices and solutions, etc.

"MEMPHIS'S UNRULY SUBURBS." Phil Campbell. Article from Metropolis (December 1997/Januray 1998). Campbell's article examines what happens when there is a clash between a growing urban area and affluent suburbs.

"AND JUSTICE FOR ALL." Alyssa Katz. Article from Metropolis (February/March 1998). Examines Maryland's "smart growth" laws and their impact on suburban sprawl.

STOPPING SPRAWL: 1999 SIERRA CLUB SPRAWL REPORT. Includes state ratings.

"THE USES OF SPRAWL." A review of Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl (Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk), in which Christopher Caldwell argues that the political language of sprawl masks the policies which may well have created the sprawl in the first place. (Atlantic Unbound, April 6, 2000). See New Urbanism for additional information.

HOME FROM NOWHERE. James Howard Kunstler. 1996. Article published in The Atlantic Online. The impact of zoning laws on sprawl and the consequences.

SPRAWL CITY. Looks at the impact of consumption and population growth on urban sprawl in U.S. Cities.

URBAN VILLAGES

URBAN VILLAGES. A Collection of new urbanism and urban village sites. The site defines urban villages as walkable neighborhoods, using compact designs, and stressing mixed-use.

"HOW BUSINESS IS RESHAPING AMERICA." The authors argue that rather than being the root of all evil, sprawl is, infact, helping to create a new development phenomenon--urban villages. It should be noted that the article, published in the October, 1986 Atlantic Monthly, is outdated and subsequent research in the area of urban growth issues suggest that sprawl is one of the foremost growth issues in planning and urban studies.

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Last Updated: 6 August, 2002
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Growth Issues & Sprawl

Growth Issues
& Sprawl